Railway-ticket.



No. 639,572. Patented Dec. I9, I899. G. A. HINKLE.

RAILWAY TICKET.

(Application filed Aug. 3, 1898.)

(No Model.)

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GEORGE A. HINKLE, OF MOUNT HOPE, KANSAS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO E. E.BLEOKLEY, OF WIOHITA, KANSAS.

RAILWAY-TICKET,

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent no. 639,572, dated December19, 1899.

Application filed August 3, 1898. Serial No. 687,618. (No model.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. HINKLE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Mount Hope, in the county of Sedgwick and State of Kansas,have invented a new and useful Railway-Ticket, of which the following isa specification.

My invention relates to railway-tickets, designed especially for use inconnection with round-trip passages for which the tickets are generallysold at a reduced rate,the purchaser signing an attached contract inwhich he agrees that'if his ticket is presented for passage by any otherparty than himself it will be void and also agrees to present the ticketat the ticket-office at the point of destination.

The object of my invention is to provide in connection with the ticket asealed identifying-table, consisting of a fold formed in the bodyportion of the ticket and sealed to prevent access thereto withoutmutilating the ticket and designed to prevent not only the changing ofthe description or means of identification, but to prevent the secondpurchaser of a return-ticket from securing the description or becomingaware of the name or general appearance of the original purchaser.

In carrying out my invention I provide the ticket at a suitable point,as at the lower end of the body portion thereof and above any detachablecoupons which may form a part of the complete ticket, with a descriptivetable or other matter adapted to be stamped by the selling agent toindicate the sex, the general size and height, the complexion, 850., ofthe original purchaser and adapted to be signed by such purchaser, andalso to provide the ticket at suitable points above and below such tableor scale of identification with creaselines, upon which the ticket maybe folded to inclose and conceal such description, the folded or doubledportion being sealed, as by eyelets or the equivalent therefor, and alsoto provide the ticket at suitable points intersecting the crease-lineswith lines of separation, consisting of perforations or the equivalentsthereof, whereby the sealing devices may be detached to give access tothe description when manipulated in the proper way and presumably by theproper oflicer.

Further objects and advantages of this in vention will appear in thefollowing description, and the novel features thereof will beparticularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In the drawings, Figure l is a face view of a ticket constructed inaccordance with my invention, showing the parts after the completion ofthe selling operation. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the ticket as seenafter the seals have been broken to expose the identification-card.Fig.3isasectionalviewthrough the pocket formed by the doubling orfolding of the ticket. Fig. 4 is a plan view ofa slightlymodifiedconstruct-ion wherein only two of the corners formed by the fold ordouble are secured.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures of the drawings.

. The ticket 1, of which the general construc tion may be as in theordinary practice, is

provided at spaced points with crease-lines 2 and 3, which may besuitably indicated and between which is arranged a card adapted to bestamped to indicate the general description of the purchaser of theoriginal ticket. After the selling agent has properly indicated thedescription the ticket is doubled upon the crease line 2 and then foldedto arrange said creaseline 2 to occupy a position upon the creaseline 3,thereby forming a fold or pocket 4, of which the inner surface isstamped, printed, or inscribed, as above indicated, to describe thepurchaser. The fold is preserved by the use of sealing devices, such aseyelets 5, and around one or more of the eyelets maybe arranged asegmental line of separation 6, con sisting of perforations or theequivalent thereof. The inner surface of the fold is completelyconcealed, and the markings thereon cannot be seen except by looseningone or more of the edges of the fold, and this can be accomplished onlyby mutilating the ticket or by tearing off the corners, and therebydetaching the sealing devices upon the lines of separation. After thedetachable coupons of a return-ticket have been used and the ticket hasbeen stamped at the destination office it should be the duty of thefirst conductor on the return trip to ascertain whether the personoffering the ticket is the original purchaser, and in order to determinethis point the sealing devices should be detached upon the lines ofseparation by doubling the lower portion of the ticket upwardly upon thecrease-line 3 and grasping the corners thus formed between the thumb andforefinger and twisting the corners to tear the paper upon the lines ofseparation.

Any suitable terms of contract may be indicated upon the face of aticket for signature by the purchaser of the original ticket, by whom itmay be agreed that the ticket shall become void in'case of mutilation ofthat portion of the ticket wherein the means of identification areconcealed. I have deemed it unnecessary to indicate specifically suchterms of contract upon the ticket illustrated, the essential feature ofmy invention being embodied in a foldable ticket doubled upon itself atan intermediate point to inclose and conceal a portion of the face ofthe ticket whereon identification means are indicated and sealingdevices for securing the fold and adapted to be detached with facilityby the proper officer.

It will be understood, however, that various changes in the form,proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted towithout departing from the spirit or sacrificin g any of the advantagesof this invention.

Having described my invention, what l claim is- Iheherein-describedrailway-ticket having an intermediate portion doubled upon itself toform parallel opposite overlapping side folds and an intermediate fold,of which the inner surfaces are adapted to receive the signature anddescription of a purchaser, eyelets extending through and engaging allof said folds at their corners, and perforated lines of separationformed in the ticket around and adjacent to a plurality of the eyeletsand ex tending to adjacent edges of the ticket, substantially asspecified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

GEORGE A. HINKLE.

Witnesses:

R. E. PIERCE, A. E. YORK.

